Missing
by WarriorsDean
Summary: AU. Caleb's life is torn apart by the devastating double murder of his parents. What makes the reality of his pain that much worse, is his belief that something happened to them that goes beyond just murder. Never a believer of the supernatural, he strives to accept the unacceptable. Amid the grief, lies a victory that may just sneak up on him.
1. Chapter 1

Missing

Five hours.

 _Three hundred minutes._

An immeasurable portion of time since the worst thing happened. When life as Caleb once knew it, was turned upside down. It still did not seem _possible_ to him. Being shown into the interrogation room, he felt sick to his stomach.

Choosing a seat at the small metal table, he leaned forward and tried to recapture sensation in his frozen limbs. So much did not make sense to him, but he supposed that was to be expected after seeing what he had that night.

If he was lucky and the worst thing had _not_ happened, he would wake up in Minnesota with his wife by his side. More importantly, he would have two of the people he was closest to beside his wife.

His mother and father.

Dan Rivers had been a veteran of the police department for the last several years. His impeccable reputation had earned him the admiration of his co-workers. To his family, he received their love for the way he modeled an example that his son was still mimicking to that day.

His mother was the polar opposite of his father, but he supposed that was what brought them together. His mother with her fiery temper, and fierce devotion to her family was what made her indispensable to him. The love she showered on him throughout his life, was a gift he never took for granted when it could have been the other way so easily.

Never one to shy away from being an active part of her son's life, she grew animated when talking about the bundle of joy he and his wife were expecting. Dawn, his wife, and him, made the conscious choice to wait until the birth to know the sex. A decision that was met with a characteristic sigh from his mother who wanted to know whether she could buy cute pink onesies for her granddaughter, or all things pirates and blue for her grandson.

Now none of it mattered. All the hours spent helping his mother and father with remodeling the spare room for the nursery had been in vain, because his parents were dead.

 _No!_

His mind refused to allow that unthinkable thought enter his brain. It was too unfathomable for him to give conscious thought to. Cupping his hand under his chin, he tried not to think about what was impossible not to.

They were stolen from him before he was ready to give them up. They would never know their grandchild, would never know the kind of person their grandchild would grow up to be. A life that was only supposed to get better, had now been torn apart into tiny pieces.

The room was cold, but it barely fazed him through the sweat that wet his entire body. A product from not only working late, but also strolling into his parent's home to find the sight that awaited him. In most ways, he was glad he was being given a brief reprieve from having to answer yet another round of questions. That had been done at the scene, and now they wanted to speak with him some more.

Being the son of a police officer, he knew suspicion automatically began with those closest to the victims. As their son, the police would want to make sure he did not have the motive to harm them. As if he would _ever_ harbor any malice toward his family.

Staring down at the Styrofoam cup of coffee that had been given to him before he came in, he stared at the cup before giving himself over to the need to have something go through his body. Regretting it when the caffeine tasted like dirt, he set the cup down and hooked his finger over the signet ring his father had given him.

Muffling a heart-rending sob behind his hand when his mind produced the gravity of what this all meant, he tried to direct his thoughts anywhere but on what happened. That would have been a mercy, not something that he was granted.

Looking at the clock across from him, he could not believe it was nearing midnight. He had been in this nightmare for the last few hours. Any second the detectives would walk in to interview him over the death of his parents. In many ways, he wanted to make sure the killer was brought to justice, but he was not at all up to facing the litany of questions that would follow.

When the door leading into the oppressive room was finally opened, he somehow found the courage to lift his eyes toward the two investigators. These were men he had known nearly his entire life from their dealings with his father.

Unlike the suspicion he suspected he would see when they came to speak with him, he only saw compassion in their grief-riddled eyes. Not only had his father been a well-liked member of the community, but most considered him to be their friend.

Wishing he had Dawn to provide backup with her excellent skills as a lawyer, he watched them as they took their places across from him. Neither of them bothered to put on an act when they knew each other so well.

"Caleb Rivers?"

A nod in answer. He was sure he was beyond words as he tried to suck in all the emotions that were floating through his mind. Ridding himself of them was not as easy as he would have liked to believe.

"I'm Detective Olsen. This is my partner Detective Springer."

Caleb had seen these two men around the station, but did not know them well enough to know their names or even their faces until he saw them up close. Olsen was younger, most likely a rookie. Springer was older, and sometimes worked with his father. The grief on his face was palpable, but he was doing his job and was not allowing the pain to rule his job.

Caleb wished he could have his fierce strength in dealing with the agony that resulted from finding the bodies of his parents in their home. Maybe it was a result of working in their line of work for as long as they had, or maybe they were simply good at shoving their emotions to the side.

"Hi... " Caleb choked.

"I apologize for the long wait. We had to gather witness statements from the responding officer, and some others who were there. I also," Springer said. "Apologize for your parents. Your father was a great man."

Caleb nodded. "He was. How long did you know him? Just for a little while? Or-"

"I knew him in passing," Springer filled-in. "I wish I could have known him better than that."

That was what everyone who knew his parents (or wished they knew them) said. His father was the kind of man who left a mark on everyone no matter how briefly he knew them. It was hard to imagine the kind of loss that would soar through the entire town because of something like this. Not only did the town lose a great man, but they lost an equally loving and loyal mother.

His eyes were red, sore from crying and expelling the kind of emotions that was impossible for him to control. They noticed the way Caleb tried to brush the tears away, and Olsen gently handed him some Kleenex to wipe his eyes. At least they were making this easy on him, at least they were starting with the easy questions.

"You'd be surprised at how many people say that," Caleb said. "Or maybe you wouldn't."

"I don't think we would," Olsen said, shaking his head. "He was a great man."

Hearing his father referred to in the past term was what sawed through his heart in ways that stunned him. He was not ready to give them over to the dead; he was not ready to admit that his parents were gone. There was no way that he was where he was, that his family was gone. Two lovely people who had been killed in a brutal manner.

"He really was-professionally and as a parent."

"Part of this questioning," Springer explained, deciding to jump into the heart of why they were in that room speaking with him. "Is to establish a basic timeline of what happened. Get a sense of the dynamics at play, and get a feel for the type of relationship you shared with your parents."

"I understand."

It may not have been convenient for him when he wanted to go home and tell Dawn what happened, but he was confident that he could help his father by doing what he would have. In the years he worked for law enforcement, his father always impressed upon him the importance of allowing due process to play out. As maddening as it sometimes was, he stressed how important it was to let the authorities do their job.

As much as he may have wanted to be home with his pregnant girlfriend and mourn the loss of two great people, he comforted himself with the idea that he was helping his father. Taking another sip of the nasty coffee, he tried not to let all of this seep into his subconscious like he knew it would.

"Are you the only son of Dan and Mary Rivers?" Springer asked.

"I am."

"Was it a happy relationship for the most part?"

Caleb smiled. "As happy as two parents and their kid could be. Of course we had fights when I was younger, but overall a pretty outstanding relationship."

In most ways, he considered himself blessed that he was able to tell them that. For as long as he could remember, his father strove to impress upon him the importance of having a decent amount of respect for his elders. Most of his own friends did not have those same lessons imparted on them, but Caleb was the exception.

They went through several more of the same questions, before they switched to the hard ones. The ones that directly involved Caleb in that horrific night. When they questioned him about his alibi, he tried not to become defensive when he knew they only had a job to do. The simple truth was that he had been at work, but had to leave to pick up a piece of equipment that the store neglected to get.

Seeing the looks on their faces shift from ones of being neutral, to ones of suspicion was about more than he could take. He knew the relationship he had with his family, and he was the last person who would ever do something of that nature to them. Not that his word meant much when criminals always gave the same story to cover their tracks.

Grateful when he could leave that oppressive place, he did so without hesitation.

* * *

 _This is the first official story in the Missing verse._


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

When Caleb was finally given clearance to leave the police station, he did so without hesitation. There was no part of him that desired staying there any longer than necessary, when all he wanted was to go home.

If nothing else, she would be able to provide him with critical insight that he would have otherwise lacked. Beyond that, Dawn would also have access to the plethora of evidence the police had. Having her as his girlfriend _and_ as his lawyer, was a lucky break.

Not believing for a second he would be able to handle this pain alone, he hurried across the parking lot and slid into the driver side. His body was still numb from finding what he had, and then going through the endless questions the officers posed to him. It was part of their job, but a part he hated.

Resting for a moment before he left the vacant parking lot, he lifted his head toward the lighted entryway to the station. When he did, he could not comprehend what his eyes were telling him. Instead of spotting potted plants, he was looking at the imposing stature of a man.

This person was not making any moved toward him, but seemed threatening enough from the way his lips curled in disdain for him. Unable to make sense of that, he was about to step out of his car. Before he could make that risky decision, the man left as suddenly as he appeared.

Freezing in his place before he put the car in drive, Caleb could not shake the image of the way the man seemed to hold such animosity toward him. Realizing that stranger things had happened, he hesitantly followed his instincts and began the drive home.

Everything seemed different with a pair of eyes that had now seen the cruelest parts of the world. Before the death of his parents, he harbored the naive assumption that nothing bad would ever happen to him. All the violence and chaos in the world would never step foot on _his_ doorstep.

And Dawn. She was only four months pregnant. Would she be healthy enough to shoulder the burden of helping him through the legal process? Would she even admit when it was getting to be too much?

Somehow Caleb doubted she would when she always put his needs first. That was one of her more (infuriating) qualities. During a delicate time when her focus should have been on the baby and her health, she worried about _him_.

Crying was useless, even though it would have aided him in cleansing his body of the powerful grief he was going through, he was not sure he could stomach it emotionally. Raising a hand, he tried not to think, but that was impossible.

Hours before, everything had been perfect. He and Dawn had walked through store after store as they searched for the perfect decorations for the nursery. With his experience building things, he took control of making sure the nursery was up to par.

Turning down the street of his neighborhood, he knew the residents would only have a few more hours before they awoke to the horror of a double murder. To the people who knew his family, that horror was happening to them right then.

Finding his house was not a hard thing to do even in the dark. It was the only one with a race boat in the driveway. The boat had been used many times before during holidays and birthdays.

Bracing himself for the slash of pain that would whip across his face when he shattered what little stability he and Dawn had, he took his time getting out of the car and letting himself into the house. Everything was quiet, which was not a surprise to him.

Walking across the carpeted portion of their home, he paused at the entrance to their bedroom. Dawn's sleeping form was curled against a body pillow. Hating to wake her, he crept up beside her and shook her awake.

It did not take long for her beautiful purple eyes to open. A birthmark that was never completely explained by a doctor, Caleb found the unusual eye color endearing. Resting on the edge of the bed, he cradled her hand while she struggled to wake up.

"Hey, baby," Dawn mumbled, her eyes fighting to stay open. "What time is it?"

"It's really late. I...something happened tonight. Not a _good_ something."

That had to be the understatement of the century as far as Caleb was concerned. Dawn knew to take his statement seriously: Her eyes opened wider, and she dizzily sat up in bed.

Taking a deep breath to stave off the irrepressible tears that clogged his throat, he knew he had to be strong for the woman sitting in front of him. Her mind would be scrambled enough without worrying about him.

"What happened?" Dawn pressed, flipping her dirty blond hair behind her ear.

"I...I went over to my parents after my shift ended. When I got there-" Caleb paused long enough to gather himself. "There was blood."

" _Blood_?"

Caleb nodded. "Yes. You know, I couldn't believe what I was seeing. They were both...were both dead. Someone just...just slaughtered them."

All compunctions about keeping himself collected for her sake, was tossed out the window when he verbally confirmed the worst thing that happened. Thinking it was hard enough, but verbalizing it produced an extra weight in his heart.

Looking at Dawn, he was astounded at her stoic composure in the face of this. Instead of breaking down like her boyfriend was, she was the picture of quiet strength in the eye of the storm. Unsure what to make of that, he allowed her to hug him.

Molding into her embrace without hesitation, he tried to draw comfort from her unshakable support for him. When he pulled back from her, he could see tears dot her eyes. No matter how strong she was, even she was not immune to the trauma of this.

"Caleb…" Dawn started to say, and then faltered. "Do the police know what happened?"

"All they know is that someone...someone killed them."

That was all anyone was certain of. The crime scene still had to be processed, and witness statements gathered together to form a picture that would be indisputable. Wishing more than anything that it would not take long to find the monster who murdered his family, he clumsily took his clothes off and switched them for his night ones. There was so much he wanted to say, but so much that was leaving him in that moment.

With Dawn's expertise as a defense attorney, he knew she would have insight into the investigation that no one else would. Feeling better in knowing that she was at the helm of whatever needed to happen, he slid beneath the covers and tried to forget for just a few hours. Watching his progress with eyes thick with concern for him, Dawn sat up awhile longer before following his lead.

Bathed in darkness once he turned the light off, it gave him the chance to close his eyes and pretend that he was not dealing with a sudden tragedy that had rocked his world in more ways than he could possibly count. Never one to wait around while someone else did the one thing he wanted, he was already making plans in his mind to go back to the crime scene and do something that would both be very brave (and very stupid).

"I know what you're thinking," Dawn whispered, scooting over to lay her head on his chest.

"What's that?"

"You're thinking about going back there, aren't you?"

Caleb sometimes wondered if Dawn was able to read minds with her quick way of somehow assuming the very thing he was going to do. Either that, or she was extremely skilled at reading the minds of those she loved. When he did not offer any objection to her words, he could see the concern highlighted in her eyes before she turned over on her back.

"I have to find answers, Dawn."

"Not that way you don't," she said, and for the first time he could hear her voice break.

"Dawn-"

"Listen to me," Dawn demanded, propping herself on her elbow. "If the police find you at the crime scene, they'll only have _more_ ammo to use against you. Not to mention, you'll be charged with tampering with a _crime scene_."

Caleb hesitated before answering her. Swallowing the tears that were gathering behind his eyes, he could only think of one thing to do that would have a prayer of soothing her. Usually one to cuddle with those he loved, it was by chance Dawn loved the same thing. Smoothing her hair behind her ear, he marveled at the woman who had saved him in more way than he could possibly imagine.

At first just a friend who had blossomed into something more after saving him from minor traffic offenses, she had become the love of his life and his soulmate. Never one to appreciate something like what they had described in terms of "soulmate" or "love of my life", he knew those were the only words that could ever come close to describing what she was to him.

"I won't go, Dawn. I won't. I promise you."

"Really promise me, Caleb."

"I. Promise. You."

Dawn still held unbelief in her expression, but she could find nothing to argue with him about. Turning over on his side, he pulled her arm over the back of him. Having her touch gave him the comfort that he thought would be impossible for him to have. The grief he was feeling, was only just settling in, and he knew to expect more of the same in the coming days.

Directing his focus toward the alarm clock sitting in the corner of the room, he could not believe it was already approaching one in the morning. It seemed like eons ago that he left their house for his afternoon shift. Rubbing his hands across his eyes, he could not formulate the words needed to express the shock over what happened to him. It was too unbelievable even for him. Somehow, sleep came, hitting him with a force that shocked him.

* * *

It made no sense to Caleb that he was able to find the mental block needed to accomplish the absolute impossible. Although sleep had come like a thief in the night, and had stolen him from the perpetual darkness he found himself in, it did not last forever. Although it shielded him from much of the same sadness and depression that was now making itself known to him, it did not account for what would happen when it ended and he would be counted on to go through the day. It had been over twelve hours since he first found the bodies of his parents, and already he could not comprehend the thought of having to go through life without them.

They had been so important to him for most of his life that finding the courage to go on without them, was impossible to him. Lying in bed as he tried to figure it all out, he turned over on his side and pressed his face against his pillow. His alarm may have gone off, but that did not mean he harbored any desire to get up and see the rest of the day through. Fisting the pillow in his taut hand, his mind conjured images of the bloody aftermath of the attack his parents suffered from. Two loving people who did not deserve the violent way they died.

How would he go on from that? How would he find a way to cope with the double-whammy of knowing his family was gone, and then somehow find the strength to be there for their family and Dawn? It was too much for any one human being to take, and that was what was so hard on him. Lifting his head to the window where sunlight was pouring in, he knew he could not avoid getting up any longer. Heaving a sigh at the unfair turn of events his life had taken, he took the process slow and quietly moved around the room to get dressed.

One look at Dawn's portion of the bed confirmed that she was already downstairs-no doubt making him breakfast and following her own rigid routine for the baby. Never one to understand the complicated ritual she performed every morning for the health of their little one, he shrugged on a _Nike_ t-shirt and some jeans. If he was going to be counted on to plan most of the funeral proceedings for his parents, he had to be as comfortable as possible. Once he was certain he had no choice but to face the day, he walked downstairs.

Dawn was in the kitchen, her periwinkle bathrobe swaying along behind her as she floated around the kitchen space they had. Her dirty blond hair was tucked into a loose bun, and her stomach was pleasantly firm. Because of her small stature, she was showing far earlier than most other women and was certainly paying for their miracle by the morning sickness that routinely plagued her. Overcome with remorse for her that she was having to handle this tragedy on top of everything else, he eased behind her and wrapped his arms around her middle.

Even without seeing the smile on her face, he could see part of it from the way her face morphed from the side. It was truly a beautiful sight to behold, and one that he was pleased to see even with the outrageous amount of chaos in their lives. Before the worst thing happened to them, he thought of himself as the luckiest man in the world to have someone like her who seemed to love him despite his flaws. Beyond her extreme intelligence and quick wit when dealing with people in the courtroom, she was a guide to him and had been for as long as he could remember.

Not knowing how she could find the grit to plaster a smile on her face so early in the morning, he took it in stride and leaned against the counter opposite the stove. Something was cooking that warmed the very cockles of his heart. One look confirmed that it was eggs and toast, his absolute favorite. Forcing a grateful smile on his face for her benefit, he took his time devouring the meal once it was served to him. The sunlight was peering through the closed blinds in the kitchen. The sun seemed strangely out of place in the aftermath of the previous night.

Eating in silence seemed to be the only thing he was capable of. His fork scraped along the plate, creating the only sound other than the quiet murmur of their breaths. Any time now, the news would pick up the heart-renching murders of his parents. After that? He knew they would have little peace when the reporters would inevitably seek to sensationalize a "story" that was all too real to the people living it. Washing a hand over his face, he tried not to think about what would follow.

Visitations. Memorials. Burials. Everything that one would expect to happen when someone dies. The problem was that it happened decades before Caleb assumed it would. As much as he was grieving the sudden passing of his parents, he also knew that as long as he had breath in his body, they would not stop living. They would thrive through him, and through the people who knew them. An insignificant complication like death, was really not that big of a deal when he knew he would see to it that they would never be forgotten.

"You're so quiet," Caleb remarked, glancing at Dawn.

It was true: Normally she was bright and chipper in the mornings as she hummed in their kitchen while selecting the "perfect" recipe to make for the day. An effort to instill some amount of nutrition into their bodies before the morning rush began. Now she was withdrawn and quiet as she tried to ascertain what was going to happen to them. Caleb could understand some of why she was quiet when he himself was struggling.

"I'm just thinking."

"About what?" Caleb pressed, laying his hand on her arm.

Dawn shrugged, meeting his eyes. "About your parents...about the police...the investigation."

Those were all things Caleb was thinking about, as well. His parents had been two of the most influential people in his life. To think that he would have to go through the rest of his life without them, was a sobering reality. The police were doing all they could to find the killer or killers responsible, but Caleb knew it would take them more than twelve hours to pin down a possible suspect. As impatient as he was to see the end of it, he knew he had to be patient.

"I am, too. It seems like a bad dream that I'll shake myself free from eventually."

"The fact that someone would break in and do this to them," Dawn mused.

That was the part that disgusted Caleb. The idea that someone would take it upon themselves to be the executioners for his parents. Two people who never did anything to anyone except love with all they had to give. Such people were not deserving of the fate that befell them. With that thought cascading through his mind, his hand tightened on the fork he was holding.

"Whoever it is will be brought in sooner or later. If there's anything I learned from my Dad, it's that the system will always find a way sooner or later."

"About that...I talked to the two detectives this morning while you were sleeping-"

"You did?"

Dawn nodded. "Yes." Folding her hands in front of her, she looked more serious than he could remember seeing her in quite some time. "They have more questions for you."

"They do?"


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

It should have been one of the happiest times of his life as he eagerly anticipated the birth of his first child, and the bright future he and Dawn had. Instead, Caleb was having to walk through one of the most trying times in his life.

The death of his parents had rocked the stability he used to revel with Dawn. Unlike his previous plans of going shopping for their baby, he was now being made to consider funeral arrangements for two people who died far too soon. The shock was only just starting to wear off to be replaced with grief and anger.

No one deserved the kind of cruel fate that had befallen two amazing people. If not for the brutal nature of their deaths, he might have been content to let the process play out and let the detectives apprehend the culprit. With what he had seen that night, he knew that was not an option.

With hearing that the investigators wanted to talk with him again, he did not know what to make of that. The part of his brain that indulged in the belief that it was something else, worried about the implications of being interviewed again.

Even without his father being a police officer, he knew that being talked to again was not a good sign. Getting his things together to make the drive to the station, he could see the tension on Dawn's face. Her experience as a lawyer had supplied her with knowledge he knew she did not want.

Not completely sure what to make of the look on her face, he took his time getting ready. Once he was in the car and on the way to the station, he allowed himself the chance to breathe while he still could. Dawn was sitting beside him, her hands resting on her lap.

Marveling at her insurmountable beauty even during early morning, he stretched his hand and cupped her knee. Attempting a wane smile for his benefit, she relaxed against the comfort his touch provided. After knowing her as long as he had, he liked to think he was adept at picking up her moods.

"What's on that beautiful mind of yours?"

Dawn shrugged, adjusting her position to lay her head on his shoulder. "I talked to Springer and Olsen this morning. They want to talk to you, but they also found something."

That was new information. At the time of the interview he did the previous night, the police had not yet pinpointed a murder weapon. Understanding that they had, was startling.

"What did they find? The murder...the murder weapon?"

It was hard for Caleb to utter those words, and know that he was saying them in relation to his parents. "Murder" and "dead" were two words that did not belong in his vocabulary in relation to his parents.

"They found a blade...about six inches in length." Watching Dawn demonstrate the size with her fingers, he felt sick.

"Was it in the house?"

"It was tucked behind the stove. Either the attacker wanted the knife to be hidden, or he wanted it to be located easily."

"Did it have any-"

Dawn nodded, her face never wavering in her support of the man she loved. Through the absolute worst, they had somehow managed to stick together.

"It had blood-fresh blood on the blade and handle. They have already sent it to the lab to be tested."

"Anything else?"

"They sent your parents to the coroner to have their autopsy done."

Caleb nodded, refraining from speaking until he was sure he could handle it. The painful reality of his parent's deaths, was starting to become clearer to him. What he did not anticipate was the double-whammy of emotion that assaulted him.

There was nothing that could prepare anyone for the horror of losing family that way. When Caleb was younger, he used to gather around the TV with his parents to watch macabre shows. Never once did he _dream_ his parents would be victims.

Turning into the twisted entryway to the police station, he paused a moment while he tried to gather his thoughts into something resembling coherency. His thoughts were muddled, reflecting the way his very soul felt like. The sun blasted his face, but he found no warmth from it.

After realizing that he could only delay the inevitable for so long, he gave Dawn a look before getting out. Intertwining their fingers together, they walked in-sync into the packed lobby of the department. With the news spreading like wildfire, reporters were eager to get a glimpse at the family.

Passing the curious newsmen as they tried to wrangle a statement from him, he strode down the hall toward the same room he had been in the night before. Only this time, he would have Dawn to assist him with the moral support he needed. Not to mention, her near-scary prowess as a defense attorney who specialized in 'impossible-to-win' cases.

Directing his gaze to the door with the gold-embossed lettering on the front, he hesitated before pushing it open. The room was as confining as he remembered it. Taking a seat at the table next to Dawn, he could not help but wonder where the investigators were. Maybe it was only that they were gathering last minute information, or maybe it was something else he had not yet considered.

Willing to take whatever excuse they dished out, he reclined at the table and stole another look at Dawn's ever expanding abdomen. Even though she was only four months along, she seemed to be showing far sooner than she should have been. Not able to help himself when he looked at his growing child, he massaged her belly, eliciting a beautiful girlish giggle from the woman he loved.

"What do you think she's gonna be like?" Caleb whispered.

"I think she's going to be the most amazing, free-spirited, independent child that ever walked this earth."

"Hmm... I like that. I also like to think she'll have a love of cars like I do."

Dawn smiled, shaking her head. "Dream on, Caleb."

"What-"

Unable to finish his sentence when the door opened to reveal Springer and Olsen, Caleb tried not to assume the worst as he hesitantly rose to shake both of their hands before sitting back down. The manila folder Olsen held in his hand, was the one thing he focused on more than anything. Contained within that folder, was the kind of information Caleb never once thought he would be forced to know.

Swiping his fingers through his eyes, he was aware of Dawn rubbing his back in comforting strokes. Lifting his gaze when he felt strong enough, he knew they were trying to be as respectful as they could be given the circumstances. The circumstances that Caleb still found hard to believe.

"Thank you for meeting with us again," Springer remarked.

"What is this about?" Caleb asked, not bothering with niceties.

"We recovered evidence at the crime scene...the evidence is significant."

Already knowing the basics of what they found from the intel Dawn was able to nab from the police, he studied them while they slowly unveiled the knife. The knife was wrapped in an evidence bag, but the model was familiar to him.

"That was theirs."

That information was clearly knew to not only the investigators, but also Dawn. The knife was one that he had seen in his parent's kitchen for the better part of his life. Recognizing the blade for what it was, was a bitter pill to swallow.

"How do you know?" Dawn asked quietly, her purple eyes staring into his.

"Because I've seen it in their place for the last...I don't know...decade or two."

Springer nodded to himself; clearly confirming something within himself. Not particularly liking the look that crossed over his face, he tried to keep a steady head.

"The problem _we_ have," Olsen explained. "Is that preliminary results have come back for the knife. The only prints on the blade, are your parents and yours."

Caleb was _sure_ he heard them wrong. The only indication he had that what they said was the truth, came when Dawn simply had no reaction other than to squeeze his shoulder. Figuring out a way to process that information was no easy task.

With that kind of physical evidence against him, the odds of the police focusing on anyone else, was highly unlikely. Somehow the forensic test came back in favor of the ones doing the investigation. For the first time in his life, Caleb was unsure what to think of the system that he used to be so sure of.

"By what degree of certainty did these results come back?" Dawn immediately pressed.

"99.999 percent sure of the blood belonging to Mr. Rivers and his two parents. We double-checked the results twice. The full blood panel will be reviewed once it becomes available in the next few days."

"I never-" Caleb started to say, feeling the unshakable need to defend his name.

"We will need some blood from you so we can match it up with the blood we recovered at the scene."

Looking at Dawn for her reaction, he saw her nod her head slowly, seeing no reason for why he could not submit to something he was dreading. Nodding his head without further complaint, he rolled up the sleeve of his shirt.

"Fine."


	4. Chapter 4

Missing

It was unfair.

It was disheartening.

It was brutal.

It was _heartbreaking_.

To know what the police must have thought about him was as sickening as it was laughable to him. For anyone who knew Caleb best, he would be the last person who would ever have the motive to do something so horrific to his own family. Truth be told, he would have rather doused himself in acid than done anything to two people who raised him with the morals he was now modeling with Dawn and their future child. What mattered was the results of the preliminary investigation, which produced the blood results that indicated him in the murder.

Submitting to a blood test to help them gain more conclusive results was the last thing he felt like doing when he knew what might end up happening. If his blood was wrapped around the knife used to kill his parents, what would stop the more final results from reflecting the same thing? Wincing when the white-coated nurse swabbed his arm before plunging the needle in, he focused on Dawn and saw she wore a look on her face that clearly indicated how upset she was. If there was one thing she did not like, it was someone accusing someone she loved of a heinous crime.

Leaving the oppressive office when he finally got the clear to do so, he and Dawn did not waste a minute. The immaculate halls of the police station were halls Dawn was used to traveling when she had a meeting with one of her clients. Caleb grew up in them when his father used to bring him by his office on certain work days. On that day as they wound their way through the various reports volleying for a position to speak with him, both of them felt like this place was the last place they wanted to be. Clearing the building, they walked across the searing hot parking lot hand-in-hand.

At the very least they had each other. Through the pain that encompassed both of their hearts, they were able to focus on the one good aspect of it and that was that they were together and not apart through this. If Caleb did not have Dawn to guide him through this terrifying process, he was not sure how he would have handled it. Sliding into the driver side of their car, he paused with his hands on the wheel, and tried to center his thoughts on something that mattered. He and Dawn were planning on going shopping for their baby, and then they had several appointments with the funeral home and then the coroner to claim possession of the bodies.

Knowing which one he was looking forward to, he pulled his car out into the road and toward the baby department store that would serve to get their minds off the heaviness of that morning. Glancing at the digital clock in their car, it was difficult to believe it was only late morning.

From how long the interview seemed to have dragged on, he was sure it was nearing afternoon. Scrubbing a hand down his face, he switched focus and moved his hand over Dawn's. His hand touched the wedding ring on her finger, and he could not help but smile at the memory of that day. For reason or another, she had chosen to spend her life with him after being unable to ignore the growing mutual attraction.

As quickly as he was able to tangle his thoughts around one of the happier days of his life, he was brought back to reality by the cruelty of what happened that morning. he knew when Dawn told him that morning the police wanted to speak with him, that it could not be anything good. His suspicions were proven correct when they immediately bombarded him with the cold reality of the findings they had. The most jarring piece of evidence they had, was the large knife discovered at the crime scene. How many times had he seen his mother with that? Too many times to count.

"Hey," Dawn said, breaking him from his thoughts. "You're about to go over the curb."

"What-" realizing what he was about to do, he righted his mistake. "Thanks."

Dawn nodded, her eyes communicating her desire to say something to him that she could not yet express. Seeing his usually unshakable wife and lawyer at a loss for words, was not the kind of thing he ever expected from her. Realizing that was a bitter pill for him to swallow because it was the kind of thing that he knew would be harder for him to shake from her. Dawn was used to helping him over minor traffic offenses and even the odd stint in jail that required a little more legal wrangling, but this upped the stakes considerably.

A double murder charge would be hard to beat. Even for her. Caleb's hands shook on the steering wheel while he fought to regain control over his fragmented emotions. The grief he was feeling for the loss of two wonderful people, was only starting to sink in. How much harsher would it be months from then? Even years? The saying that 'time heals all wounds' did not apply to him. It never would. Not as long as he lived because his parents had been stolen from their lives before their time. Battling traffic for the prime spot in the intersection, he cursed under his breath when someone cut him off.

"The police don't have any other evidence other than the blood," Dawn reminded him, perhaps noticing where his train of thought was going.

Caleb shook his head, biting his lip to keep himself from saying something he would end up regretting. He had always considered himself to be a patient man with boundless love and energy for those around him. After the murder of his family, he had changed his tune and found it harder to keep himself centered.

"The blood is all they need."

"Maybe," Dawn conceded. "But they also need to have something that ties it all together. A motive, fingerprints, anything that proves beyond a reasonable doubt."

Could it really be that easy? Could the police be hindered from arresting him because of something like reasonable doubt? His entire life, he had been brought up in the ways of law enforcement. It had given him such a thrill to see his father in action, and know he was doing something good. Because of his upbringing in the life, he had seriously considered getting into it before he started his construction job.

Dawn may have had enough optimism to last them both, but he was not at all sure he followed along with her when nearly everything in his life was going badly. It all was too dreadfully much for him to imagine walking through for however long the pain would last. His wife was always the optimist, always the one who ended up seeing the bright side of things. However, he was not at all sure she believed her own actions when he saw the crease in her eyes that let him know she was worried.

Dawn hardly ever wore that look unless the situation was especially grim. Understanding the cues in her body language better than anyone, he tried not to let his mind travel to that dark place where the situation was that bad. However, he knew it was. The blood evidence was damning, and it terrified him.

Even with his powerhouse attorney to tackle the complicated proceedings for him, he doubted he would be able to calm his frazzled nerves. When they pulled into the department store to begin the process of burying their minds in adorable baby gear, he felt his spirit soar.

The one tangible bright spot in their lives, was the baby who was giving them hope even before it was born. Hoping he could divert his mind from its pointless worrying for awhile, he strode inside with his pregnant wife by his side.

Caleb soon discovered that it was easy to get lost inside the enormous store. One aisle easily took up more space than his bathroom. Wondering what they should look at when it was still early in the pregnancy, he followed Dawn over to the clothing section.

Groaning when he thought about having to endure shopping in the one section that would claim Dawn's attention for the next few minutes, he soon found himself becoming entranced with the sports onesies, and the baby hats that boasted logos of his favorite sports team.

"What kind of sunscreen do you think we'll need?" Dawn asked, torn between two different brands.

"Considering this kid is due in December? I don't think you need to worry about it just yet."

"It pays to be careful. Research shows that babies are more vulnerable to sun during peak hours."

Caleb smiled; it was an involuntary reaction to how adorable his wife could be when she was fired up about something. Hoping to deflect her attention from the debate over sunscreen, he grabbed a stuffed green snake and teasingly plopped it on her head.

Her scream was exactly what Caleb predicted. Dodging out of the way when she aimed to throw it back to him, he stepped into the line of fire to bless her searching lips with a kiss. Kissing her bottom lip, he tangled his hand through her hair, while his other hand searched for her stomach.

The miracle that was providing a counter to the horrible emotions he could feel slam through him. The baby and Dawn were what was keeping him from going through the worst of what grief would do to a person.

Even though it had only been a few hours, he was not surprised when Dawn's cellphone rang and her expression changed in an instant from one of teasing, to one of apprehension. Studying her features when she snapped her phone shut, he dreaded asking her the question.

"What is it?"

"The police have more questions."

" _Already_?"

"Yes."


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

There was nothing that terrified Caleb more than the idea of having to go back to the police station and answer _more_ of their questions. As if that morning had not been traumatizing enough with having to realize what they thought of him, and what they could possibly do with their suspicions. Not to mention the small problem of his blood matching up with the evidence found on the kitchen blade used to knife his parents. In a way, he was not surprised the police had taken such a strong liking to him when people were most often killed by the ones closest to them.

As much as he may have understood their position in investigating the murder of the former chief of police, it did not make the pain any easier for him to handle. If he did not have to worry about the police building a case against him for a double murder, he would have been allowed to mourn his family in peace. Now that that option had been taken from him, he was trying to align his body and mind with what he knew he could do. He could throw a tantrum and feel sorry for himself. Or he could take the much harder higher road, and be a pillar of strength for his pregnant lawyer of a wife.

Dawn had not said much since informing him of the quickie call she received on her phone from the two investigators. Her actions spoke louder than her words could. Her knuckles were white against the armrest as she alternated between picking her nails, and sucking on her lip. Recognizing a bad habit when he saw one (and one that Dawn particularly hated), he reached over and gently took her hand. His touch anchored his wife to the present, but did not offer much in the way of comfort. Forcing a smile on his face, having no idea where it came from, he drove in the direction of their townhouse. The police did not request he come in until later. With that window of time, he was determined to investigate every nook and cranny of the murders for himself.

What Caleb knew was haunting Dawn as they neared the quiet stretch of town that would lead them to their home, was how _much_ she knew. As a lawyer, she would be privy to information he would be none the wiser to. When it was someone who she would likely never see again after she was done working their case, she was able to handle the case with an ease that put most hardened criminals to ease. When it was someone she was intimate with? Someone she _loved_? It was much harder to retain that coolness that continued to amaze him. Dawn knew too much. She knew the inner workings of the police department. When it came to the prosecution side of things, she was aware of what they looked for when deciding what cases to pursue.

There was nothing he could do that would ease the enormous strain on his wife-the case was proceeding at an uncomfortably fast rate-and they needed to determine for themselves what evidence existed that would shine a light on what was happening behind the scenes. Gazing at the bright sun that loomed overhead, he could not ignore the tight squeeze his heart gave him when he was reminded of the look the detectives gave him when they discussed the blood results with him. If they thought they had their killer, nothing would stop them from chasing that theory down to the bitter end. For that, he was terrified of what it all could mean for him. Dawn would never willingly let anything to happen to him, but it was the outcome she may not have any say in that concerned him.

Playing detective was the only recourse they had where they were promised some amount of control. Being put in that position was never something he envisioned having to do, but he would not let his parent's killer go free when they were still out there. Even though it went against everything his law-abiding wife believed in, she had gotten possession of the security tapes from his parent's neighborhood, as well as footage from the police department. What they would do with any nuggets of information they gleaned from looking at the tapes, he had no clue. What mattered was finding _something_ that would sew it all together.

Watching rambunctious children playing in the street and riding their bikes on the sidewalks of their neighborhood, he wondered what it felt like to be that young and innocent again. It had been years since he could honestly claim he had been without worry, without the need to obsess over something. If children were the epitome of purity, than they were also symbols of a life he wished he could sink back into. A life that was untainted by anything bad, by the murder of his parents. Two people who he loved, and two people who devoted their lives to raising him and giving him the life lessons he was still following.

Righting his jaw when it clenched with a noticeable _click_ , he was grateful to pull into the driveway of their townhome. The place that had seen the birth of a romance, and had seen the continuation of it through their wedding and eventual pregnancy. This place, of all places, should feel like a reprieve from the stresses of the world. And it did. It was within those walls that Caleb did not have to act a certain way, or find a way to impress a team of skeptical investigators that he was truly innocent of the double murder. Home was often a word he loosely associated with his family, but he never understood the meaning behind it until his days became filled with planning a joint funeral, and the endless line of questions.

There was nothing for him and Dawn to say to each other-it was written all over their faces. Although he wanted to impart some of his wisdom to her to let her know that everything would work out, he was not at all sure she would believe the lie. He certainly did not harbor any grandiose illusions that everything would wrap up nicely along with a red bow on top. Not since the investigation took a u-turn to implicate _him_ in the murders. Now all he did was walk on eggshells until the next bad thing happened to him. Making a move toward his home office that was nestled in the back corner of the downstairs, he was eager to get his hands on the CCTV footage Dawn had in her eager hands.

Collapsing in the faded leather of his office chair, he pushed aside rough sketches of planned projects to make room for what they were planning on doing. Dawn assumed her usual spot in his lap after she popped the VHS into the tape player.

"I got three tapes from your work, the neighborhood your parents lived in, and the police station."

"Why the police station?" Caleb's eyebrows pulled together in confusion when considering it.

"Because sometimes criminals make it seem _too_ obvious that they are innocent. To mold themselves into that role, they make themselves _available_ so as not to arouse suspicion."

Caleb was far from an expert in how the criminal type behaved. If someone was prowling through their town with the intention of causing more harm, he knew that person needed to be caught. Winding his arms around Dawn when she settled in his lap, he focused on the small TV in front of them.

There was no sound on the black and white screen. Leaning forward, his brown eyes studied the progression of police officers strolling into work. Moving past that hour when it was obvious they would get nothing, he straightened his posture when he caught sight of the same man.

"I saw him after I got out of the interview."

That was new information to Dawn, who turned and gaped at him that he would keep that information from her. The problem laid in the plethora of activity that surrounded them after the killings.

"Why didn't you tell me that? This could mean the _difference_ between you staying out, and going _in_."

"I can honestly say that it never dawned on me," Caleb whispered apologetically. "So much was happening, and I blanked on it."

It was a stupid excuse, and one that did not earn him any points with his wife who looked like she might hit him if she was not distracted by what was playing on the TV screen. Joining her in watching what was happening on the screen, his breath caught in his throat when he saw the man walk closer to the security camera that was docked just above his head. Absently rubbing his chin while he studied the slim build of the dark-haired man, he jumped when the person gazed into the camera and almost immediately, his eyes reflected like a pair of white orbs. Caleb had never before seen human eyes react to what was being shown on the security camera, but there was no denying what he had seen.

Silently grabbing the remote control from Dawn's hand, he rewound the tape to the point where the man's eyes changed. No matter how many times he watched it, it never failed to give him a jolt when he thought about something that unnatural happening to someone. Of course he knew that eyes could react to a vast amount of stimuli, but he never thought he would see _that._ Dropping the remote once he was sure he had seen all he could with that one particular frame, he settled back to watch the rest of the tape play out. There was nothing else for them to see that was of interest. Once the tape stopped playing, Dawn paused before going to pop the next tape in.

"What do you think about those ghosty eyes?" Dawn asked, turning her torso to glance at her husband.

"I think there's something freaky going on. The question is what?" Caleb reclined the seat back while he contemplated the question. "Eyes can react to a lot of weird stuff, right?"

"Right," Dawn agreed slowly, as though she was not sure what he was getting at.

"Well, then, maybe it's just a trick of the light. Maybe the light from the camera set them off."

Caleb fought to ignore the pounding warning in his body that this was not simply a trick of the light. There was something wrong with the way the man's eyes reacted to the camera, and he knew that. The only question he had was what exactly caused the eyes to light up like they did. Accepting Dawn into his lap once she returned after she put in the second tape, he recognized it immediately from his parent's neighborhood. This place was peaceful; the kind of community that people raised their kids in and stayed for the rest of their lives. His parents moved there after he was born, and stayed until they died.

There was nothing to see for the next several minutes. The same cars rushing to get home after a long day at work, and people walking down the road with their energetic kids clinging to their hands. It was such a normal sight that it hardly fazed him one bit. Reaching over to take a drink from his water bottle, he was about to close his eyes for a little while, when he saw something that constricted his breath in his throat. Leaning forward, he felt tears dot his eyes when he saw a figure walking down the road toward his parent's two-story home.

This was not the same person he saw at the police station that he took notice of. This person was _him._ Everything about himself was perfectly replicated in the way this person walked down the road. The plain gray shirt Caleb wore the night of the murders, was on this person. The bulky construction belt was fastened securely around his waist. Even the way this monster walked, was similar to the way he moved around. This person could have been his twin without one single issue. Forcing himself to watch until his twin disappeared inside the house, he saw a white light reflected in one of the windows, indicating someone turned a light on inside the house.

"Caleb-" Dawn started to say, her face a pearly pale.

"Dawn," Caleb choked. "I wasn't-I wasn't _there_."

His wife shook her head, tears filling her byzantium eyes. That was a look he never wanted to have to see in her beautiful face after seeing something like that. For the last several years, she had stuck by his side even when everyone else abandoned him. She had been the first call his parents made after he was thrown in jail for a traffic offense, and their relationship had only blossomed after that. Her unwavering faith in him was what kept him grounded after finding his parents, and what was succeeding in keeping him calm after.

"This is out of my hands, Caleb."

Caleb gawked at her, not entirely believing what she was saying to him. All he ever heard from her was how 'everything was going to be alright' and "this will work out somehow." To hear her sound so hopeless, was the last thing he ever wanted to hear from his wife. Placing his hand on her shoulder to rub it, she jerked away from his touch and distracted herself from the rejection she offered him, by going to put the last tape in the VCR. Stunned by her unwillingness to be touched by him, he moved from his place at the chair and sat on the edge of the desk. Motioning for her to take the chair, she nodded without meeting his penetrating gaze. Hurt filled his entire being at what he knew was going through her mind.

His wife, the one person who was supposed to have his back through this terrifying nightmare, must have assumed the worst about him in order to keep him at arms length after seeing the incriminating video of him in the neighborhood. Tearing his eyes away from her utterly devastated expression when the video started at his work, there was nothing much to see apart from the various customers walking through the doors. Beyond the doors, he could see the employees moving around inside the store. There was not much he could make out from the position the camera was in, but it was enough.

Scrubbing a hand down his face when he saw himself walk out the door, he noted the time was right before the murders took place. Tensing when he saw himself wander behind a trash bin to get a break from the stress of running the store for the night, he saw a figure creep up on him that was unseen to him the night of the killings. The man (whoever he was), only had to knock him over the head with a plank before he went down. Waiting for the man to reappear after assaulting him, he could not believe what his eyes were telling him when he saw his likeness once again emerge from the shadows.

"That was right _before_ the murders."

Dawn nodded. "The killing took place at around 10:20 PM. This had you at work at around 10: 18. You would have never had enough time to remove yourself from work, and get over to your parents. Even if you drove."

There was something wrong with the way his wife was saying all this to him. Her voice was conveying optimism at his chances of being innocent, but her face was all wrong. Instead of seeing a characteristic smile of relief, and maybe even a shared high-five at their miraculous stroke of luck, she was not offering any of that to him. Unsure of how to broach the sudden tension between them, he shook his head and tried not to let it hurt him as much as it was. This was a lot to take in for anyone, even someone like her. Shifting his focus to the clock, he moaned when he realized it was time to go back to the police station.

* * *

Caleb was unsure what to make of the obvious silence that existed between himself and Dawn as they drove back downtown to the police station. In all his years of knowing and trusting her, he had never known her to act the way she was around him. Either she truly believed what the video appeared to show, or she was simply trying to process the plethora of information they gleaned from the videos. Either way, it was startling when he could recount a million different instances where she stuck by his side regardless of how bad the odds looked. Not sure where they stood now that they had this distance between them, he searched for ways he could break the ice.

"You know I could drive a Ferrari through the crack between us." Caleb smiled, reaching over to massage her knuckles.

"Hmm," Dawn smiled, but it did not reach her eyes. "I just got a lot on my mind, babe."

Caleb shook his head, knowing that was not the real reason. "Dawn, I think you've forgotten how long I've known you. I _know_ when something is off. This is one of those times. I don't know what you thought when you saw that video-"

Dawn shook her head, pulling her hand from Caleb. "You don't _want_ to know what I thought when I saw _you_ on that tape."

It was exactly what Caleb feared was the problem when she first pulled away from him. It was hard to believe that earlier that morning, they were happily searching for baby material after his interview with the police. To know that her gut was telling her something terrible, was heartbreaking for him. There was no room in his mind for him to feel angry about her response, but sad that after all those years of working with her and more importantly of being his wife, she would believe something like that about him.

Falling quiet for a minute while he worked to find a reasonable answer to her reply, he turned the corner into downtown where the station was. This was an area he had lived in for his entire life, but he never wanted to be there less than right that moment. The old buildings loomed before them, but he was only searching for one. The sun was out again, bright and cheerful in a way that was in stark contrast to how he was feeling. In one fell swoop, his entire life had been changed forever, and the one person who he thought would stick by him without a second thought, was now behaving the exact opposite.

"That's fair, Dawn, but you saw the other tape at my work. You said it yourself that I couldn't have-"

"How do you explain it, Caleb?"

Caleb shook his head, squeezing tears from his eyes before they could make an appearance. The last thing he wanted was to walk into the station and let the investigators know how hurt he was. "You know me, Dawn. You know every part of me."

"Then tell me the truth."

"I _am_."

Dawn turned away from him to look out the window. "I can't help you if you're not honest. You know that."

"I am!" He was shocked at his outburst, but the very thought of the most important person in his life, turning his back on him, was the last thing he felt like contending with.

"I know what I saw on that video. It was _you_ walking up your parents driveway, and then going into their house, and then-"

"Stop right now," Caleb commanded. "I know you probably think I'm some monster who murdered my parents, but after _everything_ , you can't even find it within your heart to trust me? Especially when I need it the _most_?"

The day started badly, and ended even worse. It did not matter if the police assumed the worst about him, and used the shoddy evidence to mount a case against him. What mattered to him was whether he had the trust and support of his wife. To realize that he did not have that, was sobering for him. The last thing he wanted was to fight on their way to the station, but her words made it impossible not to.

"I trust that you _think_ you're doing me some favor by keeping the truth, but you're not. Where you and I go from here, I don't know yet. But if you want me to help you with this case, you have to be honest."

Caleb drummed his fingers on the steering wheel while he sought an answer to her statement. If she was already considering throwing in the towel on their marriage, what reason would he have for keeping her as his lawyer? Too much history, too many emotions that could not be contained. He loved her with everything he had, and if she could not return the same, he was not sure where that left them.

"I don't really-I don't see how you and I could ever work together if you're done with me. If this marriage is over, than so is our relationship. Professional and otherwise." Pulling into the station, he parked close to the door. "I love you with every fiber in my being, Dawn. I'm sorry that you can't believe me, but that's how it is for me. I never killed my parents, I never lied to you. Not once."

"You did actually."

" _When_?" Caleb demanded, searching for a place in time when he could have fibbed.

"When you didn't tell me about that man you saw outside the station. You said you forgot? Give me a break, Caleb. You wouldn't have forgotten something that important."

"Can we not do this now?" Caleb implored, unbuckling his belt. "Let's go inside and present a united front for these people. Do you think you can do that?" His snippy tone was not intended, but he knew right away she caught it.

"Yes."

Dreading having to face more of their questions when he was trying to recover from the shock of having Dawn believe the worst about him, he strode down the hall and into the interrogation room with Dawn right beside him. The investigators met them right when they first walked in, and there was part of Caleb that wished they had given them some time before they did so. The energy between them was bad, and Caleb hated it. Not having Dawn's support through this process, was numbing to him when he always had from the firs time they met each other.

Taking a seat where they directed him, he avoided looking into Dawn's eyes as she stared straight ahead at the one dull picture on the wall. The two men quietly took their places and fell silent while they sorted through the manila folder that contained the latest round of questions they had for him. Resisting the urge to lean forward to see some of what they intended to talk to him about, he caught the look on Dawn's face and leaned back. Their faces showed no hint of what was to come, but he could see one of them look at him out of the corner of his eye.

"Did you receive the autopsy report from the coroner?" Springer asked.

That was the one thing he and Dawn neglected to do. In the flurry of worrying about shopping for essentials for the baby, and completing their interview with the investigators from that morning, they had not managed to do the one that undoubtedly mattered the most.

"No. Not...not yet," Caleb said.

"We were going to go," Dawn clarified.

It seemed the investigators were only too happy to fill in the missing pieces of the puzzle. Having the feeling he was going to hear what happened to his family, he braced himself for that painful truth. The folder contained images of what looked like a crude sketch of the autopsy that was performed on his mother. Peering at the graphic depictions of what happened to her, his stomach twisted painfully when he noted the words "fatal" on several key points on her body. Her stomach and head received the toughest blows, but it was his father that bore the brunt of what happened.

"It appears that your father was trying to protect your mother from the attacker," Olsen explained, his voice softening in sympathy for him. "From the position your father was found on the floor, he was standing in front of your mother. The wounds to his stomach, in particular his liver and kidneys, would have been fatal in minutes if not taken care of. These wounds right here," he pointed to a point on the report. "They caused an immediate bleed in the abdomen."

"Did he-did he suffer? I mean, did he die quickly?"

Keeping the irrepressible tears at bay was nearly impossible for him. It was one thing to be _aware_ of how his parents died. It was another to have visual confirmation of that horrific thing. Dawn did not move, did not offer any comfort other than to rub his back. At least she was doing something to let him know that she was not so lost in her anger toward him that she would withhold her support during that time.

"By all indications, yes."

"What about my Mom?"

Springer closed his eyes in a show of support for him, before he obliged the question Caleb was asking, and flipped to the second page. The next page showed a more detailed account of how they died. His mother's report was front and center on this page, and appeared to show wounds that mostly came from the head and from the stomach together.

"This is only preliminary," Springer warned. "We still need to complete their tox screens."

Caleb nodded. "So-"

"Your mother died from blunt force trauma to the head."


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

 _I_ t had been hard enough to accept the reality that he was a suspect in the murders of his parents; the blood evidence the police secured at the scene, had only cemented their belief that he was someone to look into. Even though he knew that suspicion turned to the relatives of the people who died, he still could not shake the numbing feeling of being pegged as someone who might have the desire to do something like that. He could handle their inquiries and side looks that they passed to one another.

What he could not handle was having those closest to him question his innocence. Dawn had been the last person he would have suspected would hold any mistrust toward him after everything they had gone through. For the last five years, she had faithfully stuck by his side after the police brought him in on a minor traffic charge. Her kind demeanor that was often overshadowed by her no-nonsense attitude, was what first attracted him to her. Not to mention, her insatiable need to assure him that he would be okay, that everything would work out.

Caleb had never known a lawyer to be as personable with a client as she was. Every smile, every platonic touch she offered, only served to sew the seed in his heart that she was someone much different than what he thought. Dawn was someone who _cared_ , and that was a rare thing to find within the community of lawyers she was part of. Not one to care about money when her client's innocence was on the line, she handled the case pro bono, despite his parent's fervent objections.

Going above and beyond what a typical lawyer would do for a client, he learned to put his trust in her after she successfully got the charges against him dropped. That miracle was one he never thought would be possible after the plentiful evidence against him. When the stern-faced judge announced his ruling, he could feel the infuriated eyes of the prosecutor on him, and the joyful ones Dawn looked at him with as she wrapped her arms around him. Their embrace had been tight, and much too long for a typical lawyer-client relationship. Not that it mattered to Caleb, because he could already feel a smidgen of something toward her that went beyond friendship.

Their relationship only progressed after that with both of them trying (and failing) to keep up the stance that nothing was happening between them. It would cause too many complications; too many questions that would be hard to answer. For one thing, Caleb knew that any romantic relationship they shared, would automatically mean she would not be able to keep working with him. Going against the rules and hiding their relationship, had been as thrilling as it had been terrifying for someone who was trained to uphold the law.

Caleb found it exhilarating. Of course they could not keep their relationship secret for too long, not when the town was small and curious eyes started talking. The gossip was one thing, but her career was another. For that reason, Caleb was stunned when Dawn's supervisor reluctantly allowed her to keep up both parts of her relationship with him.

Just as long as it did not intrude on her professionalism when handling her cases, her supervisor saw no reason to put a limit on what kind of relationship she could enjoy with someone who had become more than a friend. Once they got through the professional barriers that kept them apart, they then had to work through the personal ones. Caleb was never one to shy away from a challenge, and eventually warmed the parts of Dawn's heart that had been frozen after a series of bad relationships.

Their trust in each other only grew the more time they spent together; they built a foundation that included all the principles Caleb saw modeled within his own home growing up. His kindness, his touches, and his urgent reassurances that he would never be foolish enough to hurt her like all the others, had finally convinced Dawn that she could trust him with one more piece of her heart. Getting there had been the start of something wonderful, something that Caleb thought only existed in a select few couples.

Until the worst thing happened and he lost his parents, he never once believed there would come a point in time when Dawn would doubt him-when she would choose not to believe him when he needed her to the _most_. That was perhaps the most hurtful, heartbreaking thing to come out of watching the security footage in their home. The evidence looked bad, but he hoped Dawn would look beyond the obvious and see the man she fell in love with.

Now that it was clear she did not hold the same faith in him any longer, Caleb was not sure where that left them. If Dawn was serious about pulling the plug on their marriage, he could never work with her again in any capacity. Too many memories, too many emotions that he could not control. No matter what she did to fracture his heart, he loved that woman with everything he could offer. Such a powerful and complex love was not easy to ignore, and he knew he could not.

Ever since they left the police station after they told him they would call him back once the blood results were back, they had been silent. The only comment that came from Dawn was whether or not they should start working on the nursery again. Even talk about the baby was ripe with tension and stress between them, when it should have been the happiest topic to debate. Unsure what to think about the new friction between them, he was surprised when she pulled off the main road and into his parent's secluded street.

It had been days since Caleb last drove through the older block that had homes dating back to the twenties. This neighborhood was chock-full of rich history and a favorable community of people that all seemed to love one another. The charmed life his family lived, had been too good to last forever. Gazing at the houses that passed, he braced himself for the emotional rollercoaster he would soon go through.

Their house was near the end of the block; the faded white siding called out to him from years past. The porch swing that swung idly in the breeze, was a reminder of easier times when his family would sit outside in the cool Minnesota evenings and sip iced tea.

Understanding there would never be another time when he would be able to jog up the porch steps to join his parents for a late evening chat over the current events in their lives, or even have them be part of his child's life, was sinking through in bits and pieces. No matter how many times his mind reconciled him to the thought of his parents being gone, the shock had not worn off.

Stepping out of the car once his body gave him the signal it was ready, he took a steadying breath and tried to ignore the trembling ache in his heart that was growing stronger by the minute. He had no clue what Dawn's purpose was in coming to his parent's house, but he hoped she had some clever trick up her sleeve that would obliterate the case the police had against him. She had not said one word to him since pulling in, but there was a determined bend in her brows he recognized.

"Do you mind telling me what we're doing here? Taking a jog down memory lane?"

"No," Dawn said, stopping mid-step to look at him. When she did, he spotted a foreign look of longing in her eyes as though she _wanted_ to stand with him, but was unable to. "The police cleared the scene, and I thought that we could take a look around."

"For what purpose?"

Caleb was all for investigating the house and putting both of their brains to good use. It had been his dream ever since the night of the murders when he had longed to be able to go in, and look for clues that the investigators would not think of. Liking where her brain was at, he took a deep breath and prepared himself for the inevitable pain that walking into their home would do.

Striding ahead of Dawn, he was surprised when he felt her firm hand latch to his shoulder. Turning around, he could see a thousand different emotions play across her face, before she gathered herself. It was clear her brain was waging an internal struggle for dominance. One part of her brain clearly warned against making contact like that, while another part of her mind urged her to remember their good times.

Dawn shook her head, pulling her hand back. "I have to-I have to know, Caleb." From the edge in her voice, it was obvious what she was referring to.

"You have to know whether the man you love is capable of cold-blooded murder?" The hardened imprint to his voice was not anything he could control when he was doing all he could to keep himself from unleashing the full torrent of what he was going through.

"Just shut up," Dawn snapped. "You had no idea what it was like to see that video-"

" _You_ have no idea what it's like to have your wife suddenly doubt you after years of being the exact opposite."

"You have to understand that-"

"I don't have to understand anything," Caleb rebutted. "I told you everything, and yes, maybe I should have remembered to tell you about that guy at the station, but that's not everything."

Dawn paused before answering. "It's a lot."

"Do you think I killed them? I mean, your actions speak louder than words right now, but do you actually think I could have done that, Dawn?"

Caleb had no clue why he had the irrational desire to know if his wife thought he was capable of murder. One of the most painful questions he had ever asked anyone in his life, was being carefully thought over by the woman in front of him. Her reluctance to answer his question, only cemented in his mind what she would not say. That she thought he was someone who could have done something so atrocious, so callous and evil.

For the first time in their history, she doubted him. He could handle rejection and doubt from the police who did not really know him like they knew his father, but he could not take the same thing from someone who swore in her vows to have his back no matter what. It was the same promise he made to her, and he had stuck by that promise from day one.

Walking ahead of her up the steps when he could no longer bear to see the look of heartbreak on her face, he tried the handle under his shaking hand and was surprised when it swung open. Suspicious that kids in the neighborhood might have been tempted to break into the house, he slowed his stance and tried to calm his frazzled emotions to the point where he could think clearly.

When he found nothing upon walking into the foyer, he allowed a small amount of confidence to seep into his bones. The floorboards were old, and creaked under his heavy steps. A gust of wind blew from the kitchen, alerting him to the idea that something _could_ be there. Motioning for Dawn to follow him, he grabbed a knife that was lying on the counter walking in. Observing the room, he was mystified to find nothing but a slightly open window.

Crouching down by the stove, his heart lodged in his throat when he was reminded that his parents had been found in the kitchen. It was in this place that his parents had often made dinners with many hearty laughs, and teasings that only they could understand. Swiping his hand over the tile flooring, his mind recalled plenty of times when his mother leaned over the back of the sofa, glass of wine in hand, and watched his father cook up something delicious.

Caleb liked to think he got his love of cooking from his father. Accepting the flashlight Dawn held out to him, he moved it over the immediate area they were in. There was nothing else that instantly caught his eye. Just the fact that his parents had died in this room, was enough for him to want to leave as soon as possible.

"In answer to your question: I think the human mind can bury a lot of painful things. I don't know what the truth is, Caleb. All I know is that you somehow think I'm doing this on _purpose_. I never wanted to think you did something to them."

"What are you trying to say?" Caleb demanded. "That you think I did this?"

"I think you want to think you didn't. The video evidence doesn't look good, Caleb."

Caleb shook his head in incredulity. "I remember our vows, do you? I remember promising to stand by you no matter what. If I recall correctly, you made the same vows to me. Now that some "evidence" seems to be telling you something bad, you're ready to jump ship?"

"How could anyone have doctored that video? How could it be anything other than what-"

"You said you wanted peace of mind in this, right?" Caleb interjected, not willing to listen to her accusations. "We're here right now, so let's keep looking for clues."

Dawn nodded, biting her lip to keep from saying anything else. It felt to Caleb like he was living in an alternate universe where everything that could possibly go wrong in his life, was going wrong. If he had Dawn's unwavering support through the investigation and the death of his parents, he knew he would have been in a much better place emotionally. Not even her words had the power of making his heart shatter: It was the look she gave him, and the tears of hurt and longing that filled her eyes, letting Caleb know how much she believed what she was saying.

Moving a few feet over to the fridge, he did not bother opening it when it was not likely the fridge would hold any clues. Crouching down to inspect a few specks of dirt that was caked underneath the one raised floor tile, his brow furrowed in confusion when he smelled the foul odor of rotten eggs. Standing up, he peered around the fridge, and saw something that reminded him of sulfur. The yellow dust was plastered to the wall, and looked like it had been there for awhile.

Gesturing for Dawn to bring him a container, he gingerly eased the peculiar dust into the holder and closed it tight. That would be worth later examination, but he still had clues that needed to be processed. The kitchen had been raided by the forensics team after the murder took place. Their excellent work in clearing the scene, guaranteed that he would have a much tougher time looking for his own evidence to clear his name.

"What do you think that substance is?" Dawn asked, bending down beside him.

"It looks like...like _sulfur_."

Dawn gave a short laugh of disbelief. "Sulfur? Here? In _this_ house?"

"You got a better explanation? I'm all ears."

Dawn clearly did not have a better explanation for what the strange substance was. Taking a sick sort of pleasure at watching her be at a loss for words for once in her life, he walked past her toward the staircase. There would likely be nothing that would be upstairs for them to canvas, but he was determined not to leave any stone left unturned. Grasping the vintage railing, his hand trembled as he thought about what he might possibly find upstairs.

He was glad they were there looking, but he grew concerned when he did not find anything that had the potential of ending the case the police had against him. The video evidence would be enough for them to mount a case against him that would paint him as the killer he was not. Dawn was quiet as they explored the upstairs, her odd silence was yet another reminder of what happened between them in such a short amount of time.

Heading to the first room that happened to be his parents, he tried to keep the irrepressible tears at bay. He had lived in this house for nearly his entire life, and there was never a night that went by where he did not crawl into his parent's bed and recount the days events to them. That had been a tradition that had been started when he was young, and kept going into his adulthood. The only difference being that instead of lying in bed with them, he would end up calling them on the phone to touch base with them every night.

Turning into the walk-in closet that still held all of their clothes, he was about to suggest they set a date for boxing their things up, when he heard something from downstairs. Something that let him know _someone_ was in the house with them.


End file.
